Giada De Laurentiis for Target collection

It’s that time of year again where entertaining takes on a whole new meaning. Even those of us who avoid cooking and entertaining all year end up cooking for the holidays. Whether you are having people at your house, or bringing a dish somewhere else, holiday cooking is at the top of everyone’s priority list.

But it’s easier said than done.

Finding the time to create tasty dishes from scratch is often daunting.

The Giada De Laurentiis for Target collection offers specialty food items and quality manufactured cookware, bakeware and kitchen tools perfect for everyday cooking and entertaining at home. This collection provides creative, tasty and affordable products to treat your friends and family extra special this holiday season. Whether you need an easy appetizer or to build a holiday meal, the Giada De Laurentiis for Target collection offers a wide variety of food and kitchen items to choose from.

I received a variety of items from the collection to try out, take a look:

I was also provided some recipes to make it easier to get familiar with the different products and some tips to make holiday entertaining easier.

Tips for holiday entertaining:

Here are a couple of tips from Giada:

Plan ahead! Prepare most of your dishes ahead of time, rather than trying to cook everything at once. You’ll feel less stressed and will be able to enjoy the party. Giada recommends leaving only one item for last minute prep – this brings everyone into the kitchen and sets the tone for a cozy, comfortable evening.

Don’t overdo your menu – keep it simple! As a general rule, Giada suggests offering four to five appetizers. During the holidays, choose foods that have vibrant colors for an added festive touch. Also select foods that are beautiful to serve and easy for guests to eat.

Select one specialty drink to serve your guests. Giada’s favorite? Prosecco, an Italian champagne with a crisp, sparkling taste that is the perfect start or end to any meal. During the Holidays, add pomegranates to give the drink a festive color boost. For a warm treat, try Giada’s Spiced Coffee with Cinnamon Whipped Cream.

For guests who pop-in unexpectedly, keep ready-to-serve delights in the pantry such as Giada De Laurentiis for Target Marinated Sun Dried Tomatoes, Marinated Roasted Red Peppers and Marinated Mushrooms for quick entertaining options. The Giada De Laurentiis for Target Genovese Basil Pesto and Eggplant & Pepper Pesto are also easy and delicious treats. Serve with toasted bread or crackers and display on a festive serving platter.

Create less work for yourself by using multipurpose kitchen tools. The Giada De Laurentiis for Target Ceramic Bakeware can go directly from the oven to the table. The bakeware beautifully displays the dish and makes less clean-up for you! Kitchen and food items also make wonderful gifts. Add a personal touch to a hostess gift by baking your favorite homemade pie in The Giada De Laurentiis for Target Ceramic Pie Pan.

The Giada De Laurentiis Collection utensils and baking dishes are amazing and easy for me to implement into my holiday cooking and meal planning. I love the 2-quart ceramic oval baker the best, although all the products are really great. The baker is easy to use, and I love that you can cook in it and it looks good enough to serve in too. The handles make it easy to grab from the oven and it cleans so easily. I also love the bowl set because of the pour spouts. Invaluable in the kitchen!

Some of the food items they sent are a little “exotic” for me and it is going to take me a bit to work up to using them. But Giada also has some other amazing products and I had happened to pick up a jar of her pasta sauce. I made stuffed shells the other day with it. Normally I have to “touch up” a jarred sauce to make it up to our standards. This didn’t need ANYTHING added, it was so good. My new favorite pasta sauce, hands down.

Tomato Basil Tartlets recipe:

I might try and experiment more with the other ingredients for the holidays, I’d like to try this recipe using the Black Olive Tapenade. I think it would make a great unique appetizer for Christmas dinner!

Tomato Basil Tartlets

Recipe Courtesy of Giada De Laurentiis

1 (10-by-9-inch) sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed

1/3 cup Giada De Laurentiis for Target Black Olive Tapenade

1 cup (2 1/2 ounces) shredded fontina cheese

8 cherry tomatoes, quartered

6 basil leaves, chopped

Fleur de Sel or other large flake sea salt

*Special equipment: a 2 1/4-inch round cookie cutter

Place an oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Place the pastry on a lightly floured work surface. Using the tines of a fork, prick the pastry all over. Using a 2 1/4-inch round cookie cutter, cut out 16 rounds of pastry. Place the pastry rounds on the prepared baking sheet. Lay a piece of parchment paper on top of the pastry rounds. Place another baking sheet directly on top of the parchment paper to keep the pastry even while baking. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes until golden. Remove the top baking sheet and the top piece of parchment paper.

Spread 1 teaspoon of tapenade on each pastry round. Place about 1 tablespoon of cheese on top. Arrange 2 pieces of tomato on the cheese. Bake for 5 to 7 minutes until the cheese has melted. Sprinkle the chopped basil on top.

Transfer the tartlets to a platter and garnish with a pinch of Fleur de Sel.

Yield: 4 to 6 servings

Prep Time: 16 minutes

Cook Time: 15 to 19 minutes

The Giada De Laurentiis collection and foods are new favorite cooking tools and ingredients! Combine them with Target’s own grocery line, and it’s a perfect match and a great resource for holiday entertaining.

“I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Giada De Laurentiis for Target and received product samples to facilitate my review.”

About Kim

Kim is a Chicago native who currently lives in Northwest Indiana with her husband, two children, and three dogs. She is a Licensed Architect but left the corporate world to pursue a creative endeavor that would allow her to be home with her children.